Does anybody have suggestions on ways to get to the snowline in the Sierra around the end of May that won't require 4WD or too many miles of hiking in from a trailhead? I'm looking to test out some crampons and an ice ax and will be driving from the SF Bay area.

a coupla years back i did a pre-SHR tune-up in Desolation Wilderness. just a quick overnighter, to dial in the gear for a multi-week hike. parked at Echo Lake (upper parking lot) and hiked in, hitting snow pretty quickly. hiked around the south shore of Aloha, camped on some rock, played around with crampons, and headed out the next afternoon. (accessed via Highway 50.)

Just on the east side of Tioga, above Ellery Lake. You can park at the lake, walk across the dam, and your approach is complete. Faces northeast, so the snow will be there well into June. The slope ramps up gently, so you can go as steep or not steep as you feel comfortable. It is sometimes used for beginner snow-mountaineering instruction.

Here's some pictures:http://yosemiteexplorer.com/photos/v/ski/ellery-bowl/

Looks like the snow is on decline faster than last year. Very hot days in the last 10 days have really hit the snow cover. Look at the graph compared to last year, which was the warmest spring in record (the third one on the bottom is probably the most relevant)